Dortmund laugh off Holtby transfer talk

Borussia Dortmund have rubbished rumours that Tottenham midfielder Lewis Holtby is set to have a medical with them - but coach Jurgen Klopp left plenty of scope for further transfer speculation.

The knee injury suffered by Jakub Blaszczykowski in Dortmund's first Bundesliga game of 2014 appears to have forced the club to abandon their previous decision not to add to their squad in January.

In recent days, two players - Holtby and Hoffenheim youngster Kevin Volland - have been regularly linked with Dortmund in the German media, but CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has been quick to play down speculation.

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Holtby has also been linked with a return to his former club Schalke, but German tabloid Bild suggested a Dortmund move appeared more likely.

On Wednesday, Sat1 NRW, a local TV station claimed on Twitter that Holtby was booked for a medical at a Dortmund hospital.

A couple of hours later, former Dortmund and Schalke defender Christoph Metzelder tweeted that Holtby was on the A40 motorway, which goes to both Gelsenkirchen and Dortmund. "Only the exit is still unclear," he wrote.

But Dortmund press officer Sascha Fligge told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday: "You have made our day with your live coverage from the Dortmund hospital - as good as a play."

Fligge said no Premier League player was due for a medical in Dortmund, and a very relaxed Klopp explained: "Yes, I have heard of Lewis Holtby. If that is enough to turn it into a rumour, there you go."

If Dortmund are to add to their squad this month, they must do so before 6pm CET on Friday, when the German transfer window closes.

"That we are looking for someone doesn't mean we will do something," Klopp added. "I know what we are doing, and that's why I am in good spirits."

Meanwhile, reports in England have linked Holtby with a move to Premier League strugglers Fulham.

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